By Tal Venada, Sports Talk Philly Contributor 
For MLB and Philadelphia Phillies supporters, this question is difficult to square with life: If you live in a complex world, how are baseball questions so easy and quick to answer? Well, baseball might be an escape from reality in multiple ways. A safety valve, perhaps!
Food for Thought:
An ancient philosopher believed a quick answer is a wrong answer, and I concur. In baseball, there are so many diamond-sized variables: The wind, rain, sun, heat, cold and each player’s circumstances are among them. However, your escape is their reality, Phillies and MLB fans.
IN OTHER WORDS:
“My father was a dreamy fellow –he read Plato and Socrates and watched Phillies games.” – Patti Smith
Did watching the hometown nine confirm the philosophers' thinking?
For many, it’s so easy they have cliches for quick reference: playing down to the competition, making excuses for them, and many others. Coaches, too, have their “that can’t happen” mantra meaning shouldn't occur, but robots don’t play the game. Realistically, all humans have flaws and make mental and physical errors.
Other baseball fanatics rely solely on statistics and believe the human element is not a factor at all. Basically, they think every answer is found in mathematical equations, aka analytics. And I’ve experienced some who wouldn’t even consider another standpoint.
According to Charlie Manuel, baseball lifer, the game is 40 percent luck. Therefore, the ball doesn’t always take a favorable bounce or land beneficially fair or foul. But one thing is true: many paying customers will endlessly and unwittingly search for perfection –their ever elusive holy grail.
Personally, I prefer the law of averages as the best indicator to negotiate the hairpin roads to tomorrow. Translation: A hot team in late September is almost unstoppable, but the same is true of any club on a winning streak during the campaign, especially at home.
To illustrate, the Colorado Rockies had been 18-50 on the road, and locals in Philly and Atlanta expected easy victories, not deflating losses. But the Rockies were due to win more away from Coors Field. So, they took three of four from the Phils plus two each from the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals: The Rox went 7-2.
Recently, Atlanta arrived in San Francisco after losing both contests to Colorado. And the Braves had some self-doubts, while the Giants had confidence plus the Los Angeles Dodgers pursuing them. Meanwhile, Philly had won two straight before playing the New York Mets who had three straight defeats. Two wins each: Phils and Giants.
Whether a franchise is hot or cold, the players’ state of mind enters into the equation. So, losing causes doubts and winning boosts confidence. Both the Phillies and the Braves had played at home, but the victories and defeats continued with them on the road due also to their weekend competition.
Obstacle Course:
Overall, injuries are additional ingredients in this September stew. And one can happen to any organization at an inopportune time. Therefore, the Fightins must manage Andrew McCutchen’s knee and JT Realmuto’s shoulder because they can’t afford to be without them.
In Boston, the Red Sox had begun a rough patch, and then the coronavirus struck to cripple their recovery chances. But the locals and the media aren’t privy to who the unvaccinated stars are. Consequently, Mother Nature can twirl a snapdragon curveball at any time.
Information is another stumbling block research can mostly overcome if you’re in the dark. Ergo, the former player understands the manager’s decisions, while the play-by-play broadcaster has only a vague idea. And their job constraints stop them from a full explanation a writer can offer by going below the surface.
For instance, the Phillies reportedly have a 12-13 record in games with blown saves. Yes, a team can have more than one blown save in a contest even if it doesn’t go into extra innings. In fact, the red pinstripes have 32, while Washington and the Seattle Mariners have 32 and 30 respectively.
Offensively, some want their club to have a familiar batting order during the season. But the Phils have had 126 different lineups not including pitchers, while the Dodgers have had 135 different orders without hurlers. Basically, it’s been like this for many years now.
Franchises on the Schedule:
Organizations are either contenders or also-rans. Pressure-wise, the wait-till-next-year teams have only players with their individual stress of job auditioning for 2022. And losing doesn’t affect the overall club with nothing to play for.
When two contenders are working toward a divisional pennant, it depends on their situation. For example, both the away Bravos and the home Giants entered their set in first place after San Francisco had suffered two consecutive losses in a 2-2 split with the San Diego Padres, and Atlanta had lost two in a row at home to the Rox.
Looking in the rearview mirror, things are clear and a partial future might be also. Both franchises have a series with clubs trending downward. For Arizona, the D-backs are 1-5 and 3-11 recently, and the Baltimore Orioles come to the Bank on a 1-8 run. Ergo, the Braves and Fightins should each lose only one.
On the Phillies, peer pressure to succeed comes in groups: Bryce Harper and Realmuto, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, and the trio of McCutchen, Jean Segura and Didi Gregorius. Overall, the red pinstripes are heading in the right direction, mostly have the look of a playoff-bound squad; and this isn’t what? Septembers past.
NEXT:
Phillies, NL East: 2021’s Missing Pieces
